What time is it?

Ordinary Time has begun -- but is anything truly ordinary for hearts ignited by the Holy Spirit?

by Sister Elise Cholewinski

When the priest entered our chapel to begin Mass, wearing a green vestment, it signaled something to us. The Church had returned to Ordinary Time. Having completed the seven weeks of Easter, during which we celebrated the Lord’s Resurrection, mourned the death of Pope Francis, rejoiced in the election of Pope Leo, prepared for the coming of the Holy Spirit, and then focused on wind, light, and fire as we reached the climax of the Easter season, the great feast of Pentecost, we were suddenly jolted back into the time when we simply number the weeks as we remember the events in Jesus’ public life.

Do we underestimate the meaning of Pentecost? Aren’t the power and the fire of Pentecost to blaze in our hearts throughout the year and enkindle within us a deep love for Jesus as well as zeal for the spreading of the Gospel?

Many years ago the Church did not label the coming weeks in terms of Ordinary Time. Instead, each week was identified as so many weeks after Pentecost, until we reached the end of the liturgical year.

We are faced with a choice. We can live the next few months in a manner that is ordinary, plain, routine. Or, deeply in love with Jesus and energized for the mission of proclaiming the Gospel, can we move forward with courage and conviction, knowing that each day is a time after Pentecost.